The Government must give the North West the £1.4bn for the NHS promised by Leave campaigners

The Government must keep the Vote Leave campaign’s promise to spend £1.4bn on the National Health Service in the North West, Theresa Griffin MEP said today.

During the EU referendum campaign, Vote Leave promised to spend an extra £350 million a week (£18.2bn a year) on the NHS. Figures produced by the House of Commons Library commissioned by Chuka Umunna MP, Chair of the Vote Leave Watch campaign show that, if this promise was carried out, the North West, would have an extra £1.2bn to spend on the NHS.

The pledge was made by people who are now senior members of the cabinet, like Boris Johnson, Liam Fox and Priti Patel.

Over 40 MPs nationally from Labour, the Liberal Democrats and the Greens have written to the Chancellor, Phillip Hammond, calling on him to #ShowUsTheMoney and use the Autumn Statement on November 23rd to honour the promise made by his Vote Leave cabinet colleagues and commit to spend the extra money on the NHS.

Commenting, Theresa Griffin MEP said:

“I know many people in the North West voted to leave the EU because they were promised, in good faith, that an extra £350 million a year would be spent on our NHS if Britain left the EU. Now we know how much is owed to the North West.

“Just think what that money would mean for our region, trusts and hospitals.

“Now the Leave campaigners in the Government need to keep their promise and give our NHS the £1.2bn extra funding it so desperately needs.”

Chuka Umunna MP, Chair and founder of Vote Leave Watch, said:

“We set up Vote Leave Watch to hold Leave campaigners to account for the promises they made in the referendum campaign, like spending £350 million more a week on the NHS.

“When Cabinet ministers make big promises like this to the nation, it is vital they are not allowed to forget them.”